A PLAN has been approved to develop 27 acres of former farm land into a community hub.

An exciting project will see the Tumbledown site, near Southill in Weymouth, become a site for growing food and plants while also becoming an educational and therapeutic space.

Weymouth Town Council has approved the business plan which outlining how the site will be transformed into a sustainable and inclusive community asset.

The town council partnered with Weymouth Area Development Trust (WADT) to develop these plans and manage the delivery of the project going forward.

Results from a 2019 public consultation were used to identify key themes for the project. These include growing local food, providing opportunities for local people to access the space to improve health and wellbeing, harvesting of natural resources to promote sustainability and exploring income streams, such as food produce and growing plants in an on-site nursery.

Another focus outlined in the business plan is to use the space for a range of educational purposes. The intention is to offer facilities for people of all ages, needs and abilities. This will include working with local schools, colleges, and childcare providers, local community groups and adult social care. It may also provide alternative provision to meet the needs of local children who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion from school by offering alternative educational activities beyond the classroom.

A popular forest school already operates on the land, offering children the opportunity to explore and learn in a natural environment. The town council aims for it to become a community hub which will provide a safe educational space for vulnerable adults, among other things.

A community orchard will be planted to offer a calm, peaceful space for residents, benefitting the health and wellbeing of those who visit.

Cllr Jon Orrell said: “We’re excited about the benefits this project will offer the community. There has been promising progress already on site, thanks to the hard work of the project team and fantastic volunteers.

"We encourage community participation with the project and value any contribution. We want Tumbledown to be a versatile space, connecting people with a place where their needs can be met.”

Project development manager, Clive Tuck, said:“The Tumbledown area covers around 10 hectares of land in total. Within the site there is an area that is designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), two woodlands, an orchard and three fields.

"There are also several existing outbuildings on the land, one of which have already been renovated and is ready for use. We are now continuing with groundworks and other tasks around infrastructure on the site to provide safe access and the building blocks needed for ongoing progress towards the next phases of development.”

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